Steel wire foundation

Claim 1

In a foundation unit for support of human beings, said foundation unit being of determined depth and having a flat top bearing structure which is generally rectangular in shape and which has opposite longitudinal end edges and opposite lateral side edges, said foundation unit further having a bottom substructure, and support means intermediate the top bearing structure and bottom substructure for maintaining the determined depth, the improvement comprising a collapsible foundation unit in which a. said support means comprises a plurality of spaced, parallel rows of support members, each row of support members extending substantially between the opposite lateral side edges of the top bearing structure, and each row of support members lying essentially in a single plane, with a plurality of said rows of support members being located intermediate said end edges, b. means hingidly securing said rows of support members to said top bearing structure and said bottom substructure to permit collapse of the foundation unit about said rows of support members, and c. stabilizing means attached to the foundation unit and positionable in one orientation for maintaining the foundation unit in an expanded state and positionable in a second orientation to permit collapse of the foundation unit, said stabilizing means comprising a plurality of elongated struts extending at an incline between said top bearing member and said bottom substructure when the foundation unit is in the expanded state, at least one of said struts being poised in a direction opposite from at least one other of said struts to prevent collapse of the foundation unit, said struts being rigid in their longitudinal direction and being situated to extend between a said intermediate row of support members and an adjacent row of support members proximate to at least one end edge of said foundation unit.